Method and an apparatus for the sorting by length of sawn and planed timber and for the piling of the same



Sept; 16, 1969 o. I. ROSSI 3,467,253

AN APPARATUS FOR THE SORTING BY LENGTH OF SAW AND PLANED TIMBER AND FOR METHOD AND THE FILING OF THE SAME Filed May 24, 1967 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 I METHOD AND AN APPARATUS FOR THE SORTING BY LENGTH OF SAWN AND PLANED TIMBER AND FOR THE FILING OF THE SAME Sept. 16, 1969 o. I. R055 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 24, 1967 3,467,253 METHOD AND AN APPARATUS FOR THE SORTING BY LENGTH OF Sept. 16, 1969 SAWN AND PLANED TIMBER AND FOR THE FILING OF THE SAME 6 Sheets-Sheet Filed May 24, 1967 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 O. l. ROSSI THE FILING OF THE SAME METHOD AND AN APPARATUS FOR THE SORTING BY LENGTH OF SAWN AND PLANED TIMBER AND FOR Sept. 16

Filed May 24, 1967 p 16, 9 o. a. ROSS! METHOD AND AN APPARATUS FOR THE SORTING BY LENGTH OF SAWN AND PLANED TIMBER AND FOR THE FILING OF THE SAME 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 24, 1967 p 16, 9 o. l. Ross| METHQD AND AN APPARATUS FOR THE SORTING BY LENGTH OF SAWN AND PLANED TIMBER AND FOR THE FILING OF THE SAME 6 Sheets-Sheet Filed May 24, 1967 United States Patent O 3,467,253 METHOD AND AN APPARATUS FOR THE SORT- ING BY LENGTH OF SAWN AND PLANED TIM- BER AND FOR THE PILING OF THE SAME Onni llmari Rossi, Kaskinen, Finland, assignor to y Tahka Ab, Kaskinen, Finland, a corporation of Kaskinen Filed May 24, 1967, Ser. No. 641,043 Claims priority, application Finland, May 25, 1966, 1,371/66; June 30, 1966, 1,752/66 Int. Cl. B07c 1/14, 5/04, 1/10 US. Cl. 20973 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for dropping of sawn or planed timber in regular piles and especially in connection of sorting of sawn or planed timber by length without manual handling. The timber is transported by two conveyors which are preferably situated close to each end of the timber and at a desired place one end of the timber is dropped flat from its conveyor onto a pile or its support and this end having moved in its longitudinal direction relative to the other conveyor along the pile or its support the other end of the timber drops flat from its support on the pile. For the purpose of sorting the timber by length the distance between the two conveyors increases either linearly or by steps in the conveying direction and the places on which the timber is to be dropped are placed along the conveyors in such a way that the length difference of the timber between two following dropping places is, for example, 1 foot.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of invention This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for the sorting e.g., by length, of sawn or planed timber and for the piling of the same, the purpose of the invention being to establish a method by means of which sawn or planed timber can be dropped from a conveyor onto regular piles without manual handling of the timber, for instance, in order to form a bundle of timber. The purpose of the invention is also to develop an apparatus for the application of this method especially in connection with the sorting of timber by length.

Description of the prior art It is known that in connection with various sorting operations the timber is dropped at present onto irregular stacks, the stacks being then organized into piles and further into bundles either manually or by machines specially developed for this operation. This requires either extra labour or the use of expensive machinery. It is particularly difficult to obtain labour for this type of heavy work.

There is a prior known length sorting device in which the boards are supported by two conveyors, one being a straight endless chain conveyor, the other being divided into several part-conveyors whose distance from the first mentioned conveyor increases step-wise in the direction of motion. By this type of sorting device the board is dropped at the outer end of the part-conveyor forming a disordered stack the length of the falling boards increasing step by step. The stacks thus formed have to be piled up into bundles separately, whereby each board or plank has to be handled separately again, which requires time and labour.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A method for dropping of sawn or planed timber into piles, the timber being transported by two supports which are preferably situated close to each end of the timber Fee and at the spot of a desired pile first one end of the timber is dropped onto the pile or its support and this end having moved in its longitudinal direction relative to the second support along the pile or its support the other end of the timber drops from its support.

An apparatus to carry out this method comprises conveyors the distance between which increases either-linearly or by steps. The conveyor which supports that end of the sideways moving timber which is first dropped receives an impulse from a control lever or levers which are located a little outside the conveyor and at a distance from the conveyor which is longer than the length of the timber to be dropped at that point and the pile support is installed in an inclined position so that the end having first been dropped on the support or on a pile formed thereon the timber slides along the piling support until the other end of the timber having been supported by the conveyor slips from that conveyor and drops onto the piling support.

By means of the method covered by this invention these difficulties can be overcome.

Surprisingly it has been found during tests performed that if the board or the plank is constantly supported at one end during the dropping stages whilst the other end is allowed to drop freely, the dropping is under control and the board or the plank does not rebound or wobble after falling onto the pile.

The use of the method according to this invention is particularly suitable in connection with the sorting of sawn or planed timber by length when sawn or planed timber of equal length at a dropping point is dropped onto a pile. When the height of the pile is the same as that of the timber bundle to be formed, the pile or the dropping point is moved aside and then the next pile is formed alongside the previous pile. The operation is repeated until the bundle formed is ready to be moved away for the tying operation.

The method according to this invention is also applicable for sorting by size or quality presuming the operation is mechanized, at least when it comes to the distribution, i.e., the boards or planks are transported by conveyors and are dropped from these into their respective compartments.

The method is applicable irrespective of the fact that the boards or the planks are being transported in their longitudinal or cross direction and the dropping of the ends at different moments can be arranged in many various ways, e.g., so that the supports which are supporting the ends of the boards are timed to drop the ends at different moments; or so that the other end is first dropped on a pile or its support being inclined in its longitudinal direction at which the other end slides in the longitudinal direction of the board and slips from its support dropping onto the pile.

The timber is transported by two moving supports, e.g. by chain-conveyors which most advantageously, at least at the dropping point, are situated one close to each end of the timber. At the point where a pile is to be formed first one end of the timber is dropped on to the pile or its support and not until this end rests on the pile or its support is the other end dropped from its support. By this method a full controlled fall is obtained and the timber falls forming simultaneously a ready pile not requiring any separate handling of each board or plank to form a regular pile.

This invention may also be used for the length selection of sawn or planed timber.

In the apparatus according to this invention it is advantageous to install that conveyor which supports the end of the timber first to be dropped on a lower level than the other conveyor, so that the falling distance of the piece of timber decreases when it is dropped on a support inclined in the same direction which secures the forming of a regular pile.

In order to effect the sliding of the first dropped end along the inclined support the angle of inclination for sawn timber has to be not less than 32 measured from the horizontal level. For planed timber the required angle is, of course, considerably smaller.

The aforementioned angle of inclination can, however, be decreased by installing a roller between the two conveyors and close to the conveyor suporting the last falling end of the board or the plank, the roller either rolling freely or being mechanically operated, the roller thus decreasing the friction between the conveyor and the piece of timber.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The apparatus according to this invention is more thoroughly presented below with reference made to the enclosed diagrammatic drawings in which some embodiments of the apparatus are presented, the invention, however not being, limited to these alone. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is the top view of an apparatus according to this invention, in which there are two linear chain-conveyors placed in an angle to each other so that the angle opens in the same direction in which the conveyor runs.

FIG. 2 is the top view of another apparatus in which one conveyor is linear and the other formed by part conveyors into steps so that the distance between the linear conveyor and the part-conveyors increases in the running direction of the conveyors.

FIG. 3 is the cross section of an apparatus in which the conveyors are on different levels.

FIG. 4 is a cross section of an apparatus equipped with a roller for decreasing the friction.

FIG. 5 is a top view of a dropping mechanism.

FIG. 6 shows the cross section along the line VI-VI in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 presents a top view of a modification of the dropping mechanism.

FIG. 8 shows the cross section along the line VIII- VIII in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 shows a section of the top view of a modification of the apparatus for sorting by length.

FIG. 10 is the cross section of the apparatus in FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 shows the cross section along the line XIXI in FIG. 10.

In the drawings the conveyor chains are marked with numbers 1 and 2, number 1 showing the chain which supports that end of the boards 3 which is dropped first. In FIG. 2 the conveyor 2 is divided into several part-conveyors, each of which being parallel to conveyor 1 but each being at a gradually larger distance from conveyor 1 in the running direction of the conveyors. The difference in distance from conveyor 1 of the two consecutive partconveyors 2 corresponds to the length difference of the timber to be sorted, i.e. about 1 foot. Both conveyors 1 and 2 run with the same constant speed.

In the apparatus presented in the drawings the board 3 is supported by the conveyor 2 and the conveyor is equipped with vertical pins 4 as best can be seen in FIG. 4. The conveyor 2, which in this case preferably is a sprocket chain, slides along a slide plate 5.

That end of the board which is first to be dropped slides on a fixed supporting plate 6 and the conveyor 1 on a ledge 7 at the board end and above it. The chain 1 is furnished with L-shaped hooks 8 pointing downwards in order to hook into the boards or planks 3.

In FIGS. 5 and 6 is shown a construction for a dropping mechanism in which at the sideways run of the board a wedge formed obstacle 9 is pressed towards the board 3 at which the end of the board is forced to drop from the supporting plate 6 falling on to the inclined pile 10 and sliding downwards along the surface of the pile until the other end drops from the conveyor 2 on to the pile 10. In order to facilitate the downward slide a mechanically operated roller 11 (FIG. 4) is installed close to conveyor 2. The roller is belt driven from the driving axle 13, which can be the same for all rollers 11 at each dropping point.

In FIGS. 7 and 8 is shown another dropping mechanism in which at every dropping point there is a gap in the supporting plate 6 in which gap is installed a trapdoor 15 equipped with a counter-weight 14.

The dropping mechanism can be operated in several ways, e.g. mechanically, electrically, hydraulically, or pneumatically, or by a combination of these. The arrangement for the operation is not shown on the drawings as this is clear to the specialist by itself. Yet, as an example can be mentioned that at each dropping point at that end of the board which is dropped last, a controller, e.g. a lever, is installed, the lever being at a distance from the first falling end which is a little larger than the maximum length of those boards which are to be dropped at that dropping point. The lever locks the dropping mechanism each time a board or a plank passes over it, that is, when the dropping point is passed by a piece of timber, which is longer than those to be dropped, but when a piece of timber passes the lever without touching it, the dropping mechanism comes into operation.

It has to be specially pointed out that in an installation such as that shown in FIG. 2 a result in accordance with this invention is not obtained if the pieces of timber fall over the end of each part-conveyor, unless the dropping points are installed at a point before the end.

The reference numbers in FIGS. 9-11 indicate the same or corresponding parts as in the other figures. Those figures show an apparatus in which the higher conveyor 2 is formed by two parallel chains to both of which the pins 4 are connected by the connecting bars 16 which give the chains stiffness in the sideways direction. It is clear that for the pair of chains there can be substituted a sprocket chain which is itself stiff in the sideways direction. The supporting bars 17 are connected to the sliding support 5, these bars being parallel to the lower chain 1 and on the free end of the bars 17 there are installed mechanically operated rolls 11. The board 3 (see FIG. 10) first sliding along support 5 and then in accordance with its length the board switches over to slide on the supporting bar 17 until it falls on the roll 11 into position 3' at which moment the trap-door 15 opens and the lower end of the board falls on to the pile underneath into position 3". When continuing its longitudinal slide the boards upper end drops from the roll 11 on to the inclined guide 18 and finally on to the pile 10.

The pile support 19 can be equipped with a turning joint 20 and the opposite end can be balanced by a suitable counter-weight 21, so that during the growth of the pile 10 its surface at the lower end is at the same constant distance from the trap-door 15. This can, of course, also be arranged so that the pile support as a whole is lowered or raised by mechanical, hydraulic or pneumatic methods, these being well known to the specialist.

The pile 10 having reached its desired height, has either its support lowered or the pile is pushed sideways on to the rolls 22 on which a desired number of piles are collected side by side giving a bundle which can be tied up on the spot or somewhere else.

It is advantageous to arrange temporary supports for those boards falling when moving the pile 10 on its support 19. The function and construction of such supports are fully clear to the specialist and, therefore, they are not shown in the figures to make the figures more clear.

In connection with sorting by length can be carried out a simultaneous sorting by quality at which for each length two or more dropping points are installed, each with mechanically operated rolls 11 and trap-doors 15, so that each quality of the same length drops on the same pile. This is achieved by guided operation of the trap-doors 15, the arrangement of which operation is known.

As can be seen from the drawings and from the above description as well, this invention relates to solutions for numerous embodiments and thus the invention is not limited to the above-mentioned constructions, but can be varied in accordance with the following claims.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for the sorting by length of timber with rectangular cross section and for piling it into regular piles comprising conveyors the distance between which increases in the conveying direction, characterized in that one conveyor which supports that end of the sideways moving timber which is first dropped, receives an impulse from a control lever or levers, which are located a little outside the conveyor and at a distance from conveyor which is longer than the length of the timber to be dropped at that point and that the pile support is installed in an inclined position so that the end having first been dropped on the support or on a pile formed thereon the timber slides along the piling support until the other end of the timber having been supported by the conveyor slips from that conveyor and drops on to the piling support.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the conveyor supporting that end of the timber first being dropped, is installed at a lower level than the other conveyor thus that the pieces of timber are running in an inclined position.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the piling support can be moved vertically according to the height of the pile resting on the support.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that at the dropping point close to the conveyor supporting the end of the timber to be dropped last and between the conveyors is installed a freely rolling roller, which facilitates the sliding of the timber from the conveyor and thus decreases the angle of inclination of the piling support.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that at the dropping point close to the conveyor supporting the end of the timber to be dropped last and between the conveyors is installed a mechanically operated roller, which facilitates the sliding of the timber from the conveyor and thus decreases the angle of inclination of the piling support.

6. A method for dropping of sawn or planed timber into piles, the timber being transported by two supports which are preferably situated close to the timber, characterized in that at the spot of a desired pile first one end of the timber is dropped on to the pile or its support and this end having moved in its longitudinal direction relative to the second support along the pile or its support the other end of the timber drops from its support, the end of the timber first to be dropped being dropped on a pile or a support which is inclined in its longitudinal direction upon which the other end slides from its sup- 7 port in its longitudinal direction and drops on to the pile or its support.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,411,638 11/1968 Dryon 214-6 3,106,292 10/1963 Aitken 209- FOREIGN PATENTS 1,051,737 2/1959 Germany.

893,720 4/ 1962 Great Britain.

ALLEN N. KNOWLES, Primary Examiner US. 01. x11, 209-74, 82, 9o 

